We have had a planned power outage today. We had a letter reminding us to fill thermos flasks if we have a coffee addiction, find alternative power sources for vital health-related equipment, and find somewhere else to get online to get on with work. Helpful letter, if any of us could retain such information in our minds or had included it in the diary. I remembered too late when there was a final-sounding click as equipment powered down. Coffee-less and unable to get on with my day job I sat in the garden and enjoyed the sunshine in total peace and quiet.
The hens clucked cheerfully, the birds fluttered past and I even wondered if I could hear butterfly wings against the warm air. Possibly lack of coffee was starting to make me fanciful. After a while I thought I ought to get on with some domestic chores and personal jobs. There is a pile of holiday cottage sheets that need ironing, there are booking enquiries that need an email response and I've been meaning to transfer photos onto a memory stick for printing. I remembered I was powerless.
Eventually the postman broke the peace and my brain returned to normality. My addiction needed to be fed. Coffee or no coffee, I simply had to get online.